Mileage

[Storm13]

I am pretty new to traveling more than a few miles to umpire so I wanted to see what others use to track mileage for taxes.  Thanks for your help in advance.

[JSam21]

Just keep a little note book in your car. Write your starting and ending mileage and then put it into an excel sheet.

[scrounge]

The log book is probably the best way to do so, but short of that, I just use google maps in my tracking sheet. During weekdays, the start point is work, otherwise home.

Be aware that the tax rules are significantly different if you work from home - if you do so, then mileage within your local commuting area (50 mile radius) is generally NOT deductible, since they would be considered normal commuting. If you have a separate office or work normally at a location other than your home, then officiating would be traveling to a temporary work location and generally deductible. 

This is a pretty good illustration from the IRS that may help. NOTE: officiating for this purpose is NOT  a second job, unless you go to the same location so often that it can't be considered a temporary work location but rather a regular second job location. For example, if you umpire at the same complex every weekend for months? That may be considered a regular 2nd job location, and travel from home wouldn't be deductible. But for nearly of all of us, that wouldn't apply.

super small type disclaimer: this information is presented purely for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult your tax professional or an attorney for advice specific to your situation.

[noumpere]

1 hour ago, scrounge said:

I just use google maps in my tracking sheet.

 

According to some things I have read, the IRS will not accept google maps (or anything similar) for the mileage.  It must be "contemporaneously recorded" -- which means write it down as it happens.

 

But, I am not a tax lawyer, CPA, etc.

[scrounge]

7 minutes ago, noumpere said:

According to some things I have read, the IRS will not accept google maps (or anything similar) for the mileage.  It must be "contemporaneously recorded" -- which means write it down as it happens.

 

But, I am not a tax lawyer, CPA, etc.

I haven't heard that, but also not a tax lawyer or CPA. If you're going to use actual car expenses, that would put a much higher premium on record keeping and actual mileage. If, like the vast majority of us, you use the standard mileage rate, my layman's reading is an adequate method to sufficiently prove the mileage. No specific method is specified in Pub 463 that I can see, but certainly a log would be the best way. 

[Storm13]

So no one uses one of the mileage apps that are all over the place to help track mileage?

[LittleBlue]

I use both Google/Apple maps and the trip counter in my car. My '97 Town Car has a Trip A and Trip B mile counter, so I keep one for gas/mpg calculating (kinda nonexistent with such a big car) and the other for miles to and from game sites. I compare that with what I have from the GPS and then I keep a written log that stays in the glove box of my car and gets transferred to another log that I keep in my room. That way I always have two copies. I'm clearly a bit anal about how I do this, but I have OCD for sure. 

[kylehutson]

I use Google Maps after I get home and record it in a "Google Sheets" document, along with my pay and any other expenses. Are they going to tell me it really isn't 57 miles from my work to the baseball field at $NEIGHBORING_TOWN and back home? I feel pretty confident with that. And with Google Maps' ability to move the "recommended route" to be the actual route, I can get pretty darn close to what my odometer would have said.

[LMSANS]

I use an app called MilesIQ.  It uses my phone's gps and automatically tracks my miles.  At the end of the week I go on the web and categorize my trips.  At any time I can get a "log" printed.

 

[kylehutson]

12 minutes ago, LMSANS said:

I use an app called MilesIQ.

How much is it? I've heard ads for it on the radio and they say something like "log your first X rides free", but haven't checked into how much they charge.

[LMSANS]

I think it was 2.99 3 years ago.  Also deductible.

 

 

[kylehutson]

I just downloaded the free trial - Looks like it will categorize 40 per calendar month for free. After that it's $60/year (ouch).